The attractive town of Hyde Park, located just north of Poughkeepsie, is one of our favorite places to run in the Hudson Valley. The 16-mile Hyde Park Trail System includes the Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site, Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site, and Vanderbilt Mansion (all administered by the National Park Service) and Mills-Norrie State Park just north in Staatsburg. This map is a very useful resource on the trails! Some of our top running recommendations are below. Several of these routes can be combined!
Farm Lane Trail: 3.6 miles out and back. Gorgeous run on dirt woods roads that connect the FDR NHS and the Eleanor Roosevelt NHS, through the Roosevelt Farm & Forest.
Roosevelt Woods. 3.3 miles out and back. At the Roosevelt NHS, a bit more challenging runondirt-surfacedwoodsroadswithsome hills.
Eleanor Roosevelt NHS: Can do 3 miles combining Eleanor’s Walk and Top Cottage Trails. Hilly.
NPS.Gov
Vanderbilt Mansion Grounds. Vanderbilt Loop is 2.5 miles and is a bit hillier. Great views of grounds, Hudson River. Also a nice run from Riverfront Park to Bard Rock (3.2 miles out and back, partially overlapping with the Vanderbilt Loop. You can also run along River Rd., a quiet riverside road, for 0.7 miles south from Riverfront Park.
Pinewoods and Hacket Hill. Combine these two woodland walks for a 2-3 mile loop.
Mills-Norrie State Park. Located 4 miles north in Staatsburg, this 1,000-acre park has several miles of hiking trails. A lovely road/trail run is along Old Post Rd., through the historic town of Staatsburg, and then around the roads and grounds of Mills Mansion. For trail running, the White Trail is a lovely riverfront path between the Environmental Center and Mills Mansion, with nice water views. It’s more of hike/trail run, with some tricky footing.(3.5 miles out and back). The interior Blue Trail is hillier, combining paved roads and wood paths (2.4 miles one-way).
The attractive town of Hyde Park, located just north of Poughkeepsie, is one of our favorite places to run in the Hudson Valley. The 16-mile Hyde Park Trail System includes the Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site, Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site, and Vanderbilt Mansion (all administered by the National Park Service) and Mills-Norrie State Park just north in Staatsburg. This map is a very useful resource on the trails! Some of our top running recommendations are below. Several of these routes can be combined!
Farm Lane Trail: 3.6 miles out and back. Gorgeous run on dirt woods roads that connect the FDR NHS and the Eleanor Roosevelt NHS, through the Roosevelt Farm & Forest.
Roosevelt Woods. 3.3 miles out and back. At the Roosevelt NHS, a bit more challenging runondirt-surfacedwoodsroadswithsome hills.
Eleanor Roosevelt NHS: Can do 3 miles combining Eleanor’s Walk and Top Cottage Trails. Hilly.
NPS.Gov
Vanderbilt Mansion Grounds. Vanderbilt Loop is 2.5 miles and is a bit hillier. Great views of grounds, Hudson River. Also a nice run from Riverfront Park to Bard Rock (3.2 miles out and back, partially overlapping with the Vanderbilt Loop. You can also run along River Rd., a quiet riverside road, for 0.7 miles south from Riverfront Park.
Pinewoods and Hacket Hill. Combine these two woodland walks for a 2-3 mile loop.
Mills-Norrie State Park. Located 4 miles north in Staatsburg, this 1,000-acre park has several miles of hiking trails. A lovely road/trail run is along Old Post Rd., through the historic town of Staatsburg, and then around the roads and grounds of Mills Mansion. For trail running, the White Trail is a lovely riverfront path between the Environmental Center and Mills Mansion, with nice water views. It’s more of hike/trail run, with some tricky footing.(3.5 miles out and back). The interior Blue Trail is hillier, combining paved roads and wood paths (2.4 miles one-way).
Terrific waterfront running in this village just over the Cuomo Bridge. Highlight is trail at Nyack Beach State Park, which has great river views. There are also lake loops at nearby Rockland Lake and Congers Lake. You can also now run over the bridge to Tarrytown!
Great running options in this historic area: The 21-mile Walkill Valley Rail Trail; A loop in New Paltz on historic Huguenot St.; and the carriage roads and trails at the Mohonk Preserve and adjacent Minnewaska Preserve.
Vassar is one of the more bucolic college campuses in the United States, with historic buildings and beautiful grounds. Take a run around the campus paths, athletic fields, and then a 3.7 mile loop around Vassar Farm on gorgeous paths.
Run the world's highest and longest pedestrian bridge! The 1.5 mile Walkway Over the Hudson is a Hudson Valley running highlight. Add on with the Hudson Valley Rail Trail on the western side and the Dutchess Rail Trail on the eastern side.
A wonderful run along the Hudson River in Kingston. Combine waterfront paths with the new BrickYard Trail for 3 miles along the water. For a ~10 mile run, add the Kingston Rail Trail, heads for 1.3 miles from downtown to the water.
Samuel Morse-owned Tuscan villa sits on 150 acres of gorgeous grounds bordering the Hudson. There are 5 miles of carriage road trails winding through woods and meadows that make for gorgeous running.
Poet's Walk is one of the more bucolic spots for a run in this area of the Hudson Valley, with trails meandering through meadows and woods. Just south of there are the more forested trails of Ferncliff Forest. RT. 103 is quiet and scenic for running.
A great way to explore the bucolic campus of Bard College and its outskirts, using roads and pathways to enjoy the varied scenery. For a longer run, enjoy a jaunt to the Montgomery Place National Historic Landmark.
A couple of pleasant routes in the Tivoli and Annandale-on-Hudson area, featuring the trails of Tivoli Bays and the bucolic Bard campus. Great views of the river, marshland, and the Catskills.
A great opportunity for a long off-road run in the eastern part of the Hudson Valley. The mainly paved trail follows an old rail line for 24.6 miles between Copake Falls and Wassaic. The landscape is a mix of woods and open farmland. Plans to extend the trail north.
The 13-mile Heritage Trail is a paved/crush limestone multi-use path that follows the former Erie Railroad rail line through New York’s Orange County, between Middletown and Harriman. Especially nice in fall!
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